Sky above, sand below, peace within

A Year Reading Chilean Lit 

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“Being alone makes us stronger. That’s the honest truth. But it’s cold comfort, since even if I wanted company no one will come near me anymore.”

The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño p. 118

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week blog 17

The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano

pages read:89-110

Word count:309

Summary

For the few pages, I read it talks about Michel’s story, Michela is Juan’s best friend, they knew each other since primary school. Micheals was known for also being a playboy as a young child. Growing up into a young man, he decided to change his ways after losing Jessica. ( Juan current wife) In highschool, Micheal and Jessica were highschool sweethearts. Everyone wanted to be them; everyone saw them as the ideal relationship. After Michel cheated on her with her sister, they broke up. Later Jessica was pregnant with Juan’s baby. Jessica’s parents forced marriage because what they have done was wrong in God’s eyes. After that, Michel promised himself to stay loyal and humble. Michel has been gone for eight years, traveling the world. When he got back, he went straight to Juan House.

Critical analysis 

This quote states, “ I’m an educated man, the prisons I know” uses symbolism. The object “prison” here seems to have symbolic significance. In literature, “prison” has been to symbolize the idea of feeling tied up in thoughts to a situation from your waking life. So, in this quote, Roberto seems to use symbolism to imply that the character Michel is feeling trapped in his past life for his actions he has made over the years.

Personal Response

Even though I read about 18 pages, it was interesting. I always thought Jessica was too good for Juan and wondered how she ended up with him. At the beginning of the book, it mentions that Jessica was a family person. She believed that family is everything. When her family forces her to get married,d she didn't resist because she respects her family and believes that they know best for her. I can understand that to a certain point, but Jessica loves Michel, still even though he cheated. That one part I don't understand.

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“I'm an educated man, the prisons I know”

The Savage detectives by Roberto Bolaño p.109

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Week Blog 16

The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano

Pages read: 71-89

word count: 302

Summary

For the few pages, I read it talks about how one of the group members notice how stress Juan was and thrown him a surprise party, with alcohol, drugs, and dancing women. For a moment, Juan was at ease, and he needed a night out to forgot about what he thought he saw. While the night was still going, a young redhead caught his attention, being a married man didn’t stop him. According to Juan, he isn’t “touching.” The party was coming to an end, everyone was heading home, but Juan decided to stay a little while. He didn’t want the night to end, and he missed living the single life, no responsibility for taking care of a child or struggling to pay the bills.  

Critical Analysis

This quote states, “Nothing happened today….” uses filling in the gaps. Based on the fact that Juan said nothing happened at the party his friend had thrown. I am inferring that something else must be right that we were not told directly or something happened off stage.specisfcally now I know that Juan met someone that night that his wife Jessica wouldn’t be too happy. Saying nothing happened makes lying to Jessica painful.

Personal response 

Even though I only read about 18 pages, I continue to learn more about the characters. I never know that Juan was the type of person to consider cheating on his wife and doesn't feel any shame about it. These pages showed me how annoying and difficult adulting could be, even though Juan isn't your regular adult or parent, he still struggles with accepting who he is and what he does. The character Jessica hasn't been mentioned a lot since reading the book, but so far, I think Jessica is the type that doesn't take any behavior from anyone. I can't wait to hear more from her.

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“Nothing happened today. ...”

The Savage detectives by  Roberto Bolaño p. 82

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Week Blog 15

The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano

page read: 56-71

word count:305

Summary 

In this week's Reading, Juan started to see a woman dressed in red. She reminded him of his ex-girlfriend that disappeared two years ago. He knows it couldn't be her she was gone, died forever, or did she?. He couldn't tell anymore, he didn't want anyone to know about his past life, he came here for a fresh start. Juan met his wife and had a baby girl. Juan loves his wife, she even wrote her a poem about the love he will always have. He didn't want to hurt her Juan decides to ignore her, hoping that she would go away and she did. Juan blamed it on stress, stressed about the boss, and about money. He decided not to tell any more about what he saw for now.

Critical analysis 

“Write in the morning, revise in the afternoon, read ar night, and spend the rest of your time exercising your diplomacy, stealth, and charm”. This quote uses thematic ideas. The author seems to suggest there that love based on the fact that the character is writing a poem to the person he loves and cherish, wanting the poem to be perfect once the character readers it. Another example,” we interpret life at moments of the deepest desperation” this quote is an example of implied meanings. Even though Juan said “ we interpret life at moments of the deepest desperation” he really meant that people will do anything to get with they most desire.

Personal Response

This part was really interesting, I never know how emotional and men can get. Juan is known for being the strong and brave men of the group. But once it comes to a girl, his whole image changes. It's weird how the women are constantly disappearing, one moment she here the next she isn't. I'm starting to think she's a ghost from someone's past. A past killing or an ex-girlfriend. I'm excited to see what happens next.

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“We interpret life at moments of the deepest desperation.”

The Savage Detectives, Roberto Bolaño p.71

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“Write in the morning, revise in the afternoon, read at night, and spend the rest of your time exercising your diplomacy, stealth, and charm.”

The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño p.56

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“I wanted to die, but I realized it was better not to.”

 The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño

(p.34)

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“There is a time for reciting poems and a time for fists.”

Savage detectives by  Roberto Bolaño(p. 19)

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“I handed them two glasses and they sat there looking at the bottle as if they were afraid a dragon might come shooting out of it,”

The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño & Natasha Wimmer (p.3)

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Week Blog 13

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

Word Count:310

Pages read:382-415

Summary

At the end of the book, Esteban Trueba traveled to Christopher Columbus to visit Transito Soto. She is now a rich woman, and he is an old man. The place is no longer a house because, according to Transito, a new environment of free love and safe sex has made prostitution all but old news. The place has been transformed into a unique hotel for romantic getaways and has a good relationship with the government. Esteban Trueba begs Transito Soto to use her political connections to find Alba. He tells her everything about his tortured existence, including the arrival of three human fingers - supposedly Alba's - in his mailbox. Two days later, Transito calls Esteban Trueba to tell him she has found Alba.

Critical analysis 

The quote says," A century later, Alba awoke wet and naked." The author uses an observant outsider, an outsider looking in. The horrifyingly violent things that are done to Alba by Esteban Garcia and his friends while she is held and tortured are nearly terrifying. This sentence shows how more effective than any horrible details, indicating how close to death she comes and how stripped of all self-pride.

Personal Response

Finishing the book is sad and exciting, I got a trill of mystery and murder, but I didn't forget how confusing the book got towards the end. I always loved a good mystery book, especially when it involves science fiction. My favorite character is Alba, Alba is one of the most influential figures in the novel. This even though she's not even born until Chapter 9, over halfway through the book. She's was known for getting along with everyone in her family, despite what feud she had with them. In fact, Alba and Clara were the only two characters that maintain a relationship with all of the other family members. This is especially impressive with regards to Esteban Trueba, whose temper and conservative ideas isolate him from pretty much everyone else around him.

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“A century later Alba awoke wet and naked.”

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende (p.415)

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Week Blog 12

The House of the Spirits by Isabelle Allende

Word count:332

pages read:362-382

Summary 

During this chapter of the book, Alba was blindfolded nearly the entire time she spends in captivity. When she refuses to tell Esteban García where Miguel is, she is beaten, raped, and tortured. One person who helps her through her struggle is Ana Diaz, a former student who had taught her during the university camp. The women guide each other's spirits as much as possible. Alba is eventually thrown in "the doghouse," a terrible isolation chamber where she resolves to die. Then the spirit of Clara appears and encourages her not only to survive but to keep herself alive by writing in her memory. In the darkness, Alba hurts herself and overcomes her agony.

Critical Analysis

The quote says, “Garcia appeared as a green beast that tried to strangle her with his paws and asphyxiate her by shoving a slimy tentacle down her throat.” The author uses focusing on little things, describing Garcia’s appearance in great detail. Alba describes how she sees Esteban Garcia when he haunts her in her dreams. The second quote, “She was already in the habit of writing down important matters, and afterward, when she was mute, she also recorded trivialities, never suspecting that fifty years later I would use her notebooks to reclaim the past and overcome terrors of my own.” This an example of an observant outsider, telling the reader what she has done. When Alba is held captive, Ana tells her to write about her suffering and pain.

Personal Response

I found this part of the book, sad. Alba was tortured and raped by her capers. And she wanted to hurt herself and die because she couldn't deal with it anymore. It makes me think about how girls and even boys today go through things unimaginable, and no one knows it. Or also how they are affected by the actions of someone else. It made me reflect on society and how today, in different countries, women are continually being raped and tortured for the fun of it.

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“Garcia appeared as a green beast that tried to strangle her with his paws and asphyxiate her by shoving a slimy tentacle down her throat.”

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende (p.382)

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“He could hardly guess that the solemn, cubic, dense, pompous house, which sat like a hat amidst its green and geometric surroundings, would end up full of protuberances and incrustations, of twisted staircases that led to empty spaces.”

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende (p.372)

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“She was already in the habit of writing down important matters, and afterward, when she was mute, she also recorded trivialities, never suspecting that fifty years later I would use her notebooks to reclaim the past and overcome terrors of my own.”

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende (p.363)